All News

June 04, 2009

The TSA's Authoritarian Ways Get Reigned In

GAMA is applauding passage of the Mica-Petri-Ehlers-Graves
Amendment to H.R. 2200, the Transportation Security Administration
(TSA) Authorization Act. The amendment limits the TSA's
ability to use security directives to circumvent the normal
rulemaking process without consideration of operational impacts or
economic burdens.

First All-In-One Aircraft Maintenance Vehicle

Air Technical Industries has launched the Scorpion Aircraft Tug,
a first-of-its-kind tug that includes a built-in crane lift and
auxiliary power unit (APU). The Scorpion enables FBO mechanics
to move and precisely position aircraft weighing up to 15,000
pounds.

"This country begs for air power"

The Afghan National Army Air Corps is a vital and rapidly
growing component of Afghanistan's security forces and is building
air power to deny terrorists a safe haven in Afghanistan, according
to a U.S. Air Force general.

A330 MRTT Successfully Performed 1st Contacts Using New
Refueling Pods

The Airbus Military A330 MRTT (Multi Role Tanker Transport) has
completed another major milestone, successfully performing a series
of dry contacts using the new generation Cobham 905E hose and
drogue under-wing refueling pods. The receiver aircraft was a
Spanish Air Force F/A-18A+ fighter.

First Sites in Arizona and Germany

Lockheed Martin and the US Air Force have successfully completed
Sniper Advanced Targeting Pod (ATP) A-10C site activations at
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base in Tucson and Spangdahlem Air Base in
Germany.

Advertisement

No New Date Set For 406 MHz Change

Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCAA) had proposed the
mandatory installation of 406 MHz emergency locator transmitters
(or an alternate means of compliance) onto Canadian-registered
aircraft and foreign-registered aircraft operating in Canadian
airspace because of the withdrawal of Cospas/Sarsat monitoring of
121.5 MHz ELT transmissions beginning February 1st of this
year.

But... Will We Sell Them?

For years, Japan has been asking the US to sell it F-22
fighters. Since 1998, all exports of the high-tech fighter have
been banned under a 1998 amendment by House Appropriations
Committee Chairman David Obey.

Day and night, there are a number of heroic people and aviation assets prowling the skies for signs of those that would threaten America in one of many forms. One of those heroic groups is employed by US Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, for short.

CBP's P-3 AEW Crews -- These Folks 'Have Our Back'

Day and night, there are a number of heroic people and aviation
assets prowling the skies for signs of those that would threaten
America in one of many forms. One of those heroic groups is
employed by US Customs and Border Protection, or CBP, for
short.

17 Year Old Pilot Makes Emergency Landing

Megan Daley, a licensed pilot, was taking a friend from
Georgetown to Brownwood Regional Airport for his checkride. But
then the oil pressure in the Piper Tomahawk dropped to zero, the
engine failed, and Daley's training kicked in.

Assistance Requested By The French Government

The National Transportation Safety Board has accepted an
invitation from the French aviation accident investigation
authority, the Bureau d'Enquˆtes et d'Analyses (BEA), to
assist in the investigation of Air France flight 447, the A-330
that crashed in the Atlantic Ocean off the Brazilian coast on
Monday morning.

Advertisement

It's Two, Two, Two Vehicles In One

Almost since the first heavier-than-air powered flight, the
flying car has been something of the Holy Grail of aviation. How
many of us have dreamed of pulling our car out of the garage and
having the option of driving to the store or flying to the next
city without changing vehicles?

P-3C Orion Crew Will Assist In The Effort

A US Navy aircrew joined the international search for survivors
and debris on Tuesday from an Air France aircraft that went missing
Monday off the Brazilian coast, U.S. Southern Command officials
announced.

Will The Mission Commander 'Tweet' From Space?

NASA managers completed a review Wednesday of space shuttle
Endeavour's readiness for flight and selected June 13 as the
official launch date for the STS-127 mission to the International
Space Station. Commander Mark Polansky and his six crewmates are
scheduled to lift off at 7:17 a.m. EDT from NASA's Kennedy Space
Center in Florida.

17 More Stealth Fighters Slated for Production

The United States Department of Defense has awarded Lockheed
Martin a $2.1 billion contract modification to produce 17 F-35
Lightning II stealth fighters in the third lot of low-rate initial
production (LRIP). The buy also includes the first international
orders - two F-35 operational test aircraft for the United Kingdom
and one for the Netherlands.

Aero-Linx: Flying
Machines
Everyone knows about the Wright Brothers exceptionally good day
at Kitty Hawk in 1903, but man has wanted to fly pretty much since
he first looked up at the birds. While the "Doing Da Vinci"
team is unlikely to be able to build a working Ornithopter, men and
women had been trying find ways to achieve that birds-eye view for
hundreds of years … some with more success than
others.

"We had done that exact scenario in training, and I had
to look for a safe place to land."
Source: 17-year-old Private Pilot Megan
Daley, discussing her first deadstick landing just three months
after earning her PPC. Megan was taking a friend from
Georgetown TX to Brownwood Regional Airport for his checkride. But
then the oil pressure in the Piper Tomahawk dropped to zero, the
engine failed, and Daley's training kicked in. Megan's Flight
Instructor was Beth Jenkins of Pilot's Choice Aviation in
Georgetown, TX.